Draft-spring.



w A. KIMBELL.

DRAFT SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED suEv 21, 1915.

- 1,172,803. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

I vq 3 ATTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. KIMBELL, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

DRAFT-SPRING.

Application filed July 21, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. KIMBELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Spr-ings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to draft spring attachments for plows, vehicles, etc., and consists in the novel arrangement of the spring holder parts which permit the spring to be readily assembled between them and which are designed to dispense with the use of split links for connecting the draft spring in service position. To avoid the necessityv of split links to connect up the draft spring attachment, at least one member of the spring holder must be disposed without the spring so that it may be assembled in operating position with the spring without having to pass its body portion through the spring. The difliculty with the use of an external holder member is in providing means which will hold it against falling.

away from the spring without interfering with its quick attachment to or removal from the spring. This I have accomplished by providing the outer member of the spring holder with an inner leg adapted to be passed through the spring and by en-,

* is passed through the spring and disposed on the opposite side of the outer member from that on which its said leg is disposed so that the latter member is held by its leg and the inner member againstv lateral displacement relatively to the spring.

With these objects in view my invention comprises in its preferred construction the arrangements of parts which are hereinafter described, reference being had, for purposes of illustration, to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a side elevation of the draft spring attachment in service. Fig. 2 is a plan. view of Fig. 1.. Fig. 3 shows the outer Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Serial No. 41,166.

holder member and spring assembled with the inner member detached.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, my draft spring attachment is shown interposed between the whifile tree 1 and the beam 2 of a plow, the latter having a clevis 3 detachably fastened on its forward end by a nut and bolt 4. A solid link 5 is made fast at the center of the whifi'ie tree and may be of any standard construction, but does not have to be split. The draft spring attachment comprises a coiled draft spring 6 which is held in position in the frame or holder formed by an outer frame member 7 and an inner frame member 8 which engage opposite ends of the spring and are relatively movable to compress the spring between them. As these members require special construction in order to accomplish the objects of my inven tion, I will describe them more in detail, as follows: The outer holder member is formed of strong wire bent to a U-shape andhaving at the free end of one side thereof an inwardly and reversely bent hook 9 and opposite it havingthe free end of the other side bent inwardly and elongated to form a leg, 10 which extends forward through the spring and preferably .to a point beyond the U-bend of the member 7 The inner member 8 being adapted to be passed through the spring can be of any suitable design, but is preferably formed of wire bent to a U-shape with its sides brought more closely together so that they can be passed through the spring and will yi-eldingly engage the spring so as to be held thereby in a diametrical plane across the spring. The free ends of its sides are bent outwardly and rearwardly to form hook members 11 which engage one end of the spring.

In assembling theparts the hook end 9 of the outer member 7 is first passed through the link 5 and then the springis placed under the member with the leg 10 of the latter inserted in the spring which is then moved toward the open end of the member until it engages in the hook 9 and the bend at the forward end of the leg 10. r The member 7 is then forced downwardly about the spring until its leg 10 engages the under side of the spring and thus prevents the member 7 moving s b tantia ly belo inner member 8 is then contracted and ins serted through the spring and its hooks 11 caused to engage the forward end of the spring above the member 7 so that they prevent the latter member cooking upwardly. In this position the U-bend of the inner member 7 projects sufliciently beyond the spring to be engaged in the clevis when the latter is detached from. the beam and after being adjusted to the desired point in the clevis the latter is reattached to the a beam. Under these conditions it will be noted that no split links are required, that the parts can be readily assembled and detached and that the draft spring attachment is produced in the most compact design and affords the shortest possible connection between the whifiie tree and the plow beam or vehicle tongue.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A draft spring device comprising in combination, a coiled spring and a holder therefor comprising an inner U shaped member adapted to be inserted through the spring and having hooks at its free ends to engage one end of the spring, and an outer U-shaped member havinga-t its free ends hook members inturned to engage the other end of the spring, one of these hook me1nbers having a forward extension which pro jects for a substantial distance through the spring and by engaging the inner Walls thereof is adapted to prevent the sidewise disengagement in one direction of said outer member from the spring, said inner member being disposed to prevent the sidea wise disengagement of said outer member in the opposite direction.

2. A draft spring device, comprising a coiled spring and a two-part spring holder, one part comprising a U-shaped inner memher which is inserted endwise through the spring and provided with out-turned hooks at its ends to engage one end of the spring,

the body of said member being in engagement with the inner wall of the spring, and the other part comprising an outer U-shaped member, the sides-of which are adapted to snugly receive the spring between them, and the U-bend of which is disposed at the opposite end of the spring from the U-bend of the inner member and in position to be stopped against upward play by the out turned hooks of said inner member, the sides of sa1d outer member havmg their ends inturned to engage the other end :iof

the spring and under the U-bend of the inner member, and one of said ends being bent forwardly and at an incline down-1 wardly so as to project through and engage the inner wall of the spring.

8. The combination, in a draft spring device, with a draft spring and a member which passes through the spring and is provided at one end with means to engage one end of the spring, of an outer removable frame member which is formed of a bent metal rod, the body of which is U-shaped and adapted to receive the spring and.

gage the inner wall thereof, out-turned books at the free ends of said member to engage one end of the spring, a' U-shaped outer memberadapted to fit snugly about and to yieldingly engage the outer wall of said spring, inturned hooks at the free ends of said outer member disposed to engage the outer end of said spring, the hooks of each member serving as stops to hold the other member in position. in the spring, and a forward extension. of one of said latter hooks which is inclined away from the plane of theinner member and :is adapted to engage the inner wall of the spring, and to project beyond the U-bend of the outer member and on the opposite side thereof from. the inner member, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

WILLIAM A. KIMBELL. Witness:

Norma WELSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the. Commissioner or latents, Washington, 20.0. 

